It is known to provide, in the storage-battery or accumulator field, a composite electrode structure in which the active mass is received within synthetic-resin layers applied to opposite sides of a metal support, grid or current collector.
A prior-art system of this type is described in German published application (Auslegeschrift) 12 31 326. In this construction, the synthetic-resin layers are formed, e.g. from synthetic-resin particles to fibers which are sintered to the metal carrier. The bond between the synthetic resin and the metal is frequently poor and this is especially the case when the active material is mixed with the synthetic resin prior to its application to the carrier.
When less than 20 volume percent of synthetic resin is used in the mixture, one obtains a barely coherent and adherent structure capable of retaining the active mass. If one increases the proportion of the synthetic resin in the mixture, the resulting pores are relatively closed so that the access of electrolyte to the active material is limited.
During charge-discharge cycling, the active mass tends to swell and the resulting volume change causes the active mass to be shed from the electrode alone or together with the synthetic-resin material.